Pictures for Harry
by miss mcGonagle
Summary: When Hagrid decides to put together a photo album for Harry, he asks Remus Lupin to send a few pictures...Remus relives a few memories as he goes through them. No SLASH, some ADMM.


_This is my third fic, a Remus Lupin oneshot set during Harry's first year. Feedback is a beautiful thing...hint, hint._

_Disclaimer: Don't own it...if you haven't noticed, I'm no JKR._

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_Tap! Tap! Tap!_

The man stretched out in the chair opened his eyes briefly before letting them close again. The sunlight coming in through the widow was so warm and after his latest transformation he was so very, very tired, his body needed to rest.

_Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!_

Reluctantly, he opened his eyes again and turned his head towards the window. He watched lazily as the large barn owl made its third attempt to gain his attention.

_Tap! Tap!_

With a resigned sigh, Remus Lupin rose from his chair and made his way slowly to the grimy window of his apartment, muscles aching with every movement. The owl flew inside the moment the window was opened and settled itself on the back of the chair Remus had so unwillingly vacated. Remus removed the letter from the leg the owl offered him, but made no move to open it. Usually he would have been eager for a letter because he did not have very many correspondents, today however he was in no mood for letters. He was still recovering from the full moon two nights ago and his body desperately needed sleep.

But the owl did not seem to understand this. It continued to stare at him as if waiting for a reply, Remus sighed again and opened the envelope.

Remus- 

_I'm putting together a book for Harry with pictures of Lily and James, thought you might have some. Send them as soon as you can._

_Thanks-Rubeus Hagrid_

Closing his eyes, Remus exhaled slowly. Pictures of Lily and James, for Harry. Of course he had pictures, but to go through them again after so long…Remus passed through the small flat into his bedroom. Crouching down beside the bed, he fumbled beneath it until he felt the handle of a small suitcase. Pulling it out he laid it on the bed and blew away the top layer of dust that covered it.

Remus popped the rusty catches with his palm and opened the case. A few pictures slid out which he shoved back in. Needing better light, Remus held the case closed and carried it into the other room. He sat it down on the table that served as both his dining table and desk. He then moved his chair closer to the table, which involved dislodging the owl who hooted reprovingly and settled on the windowsill. Remus sat down and opened the case again.

The pictures that had fallen out were of his parents; his mother had sent them about a year ago. The rest of the pictures had been sorted into envelopes, then labeled. What would Harry want to see?

The first envelope was marked 'Friends'. Inside were pictures taken about twelve years before, during the more light hearted days of the Order of the Phoenix. There was a picture of Remus having a few firewhiskeys with Alastor Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Sirius Black. Remus frowned; there was a reason he no longer looked at these pictures. Grief he could deal with, but anger…

The next picture wiped his frown away instantly. Minerva McGonagall sat between the two Dumbledore brothers, trying and failing not to laugh at their crazy antics. The moving photograph showed the Transfiguration professor wiping tears of laughter from her eyes as Albus and Aberforth acted like the overgrown schoolboys they were. There was also a picture of Lily Potter and Alice Longbottom gossiping over coffee, a list of baby name between the two mothers-to-be.

There were some group photos of the Order, Remus noticed that the majority of the people were no longer alive. Four faces stood out among the others, Lily and James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Sirius Black, Sirius, not dead…but as good as. For Remus, Sirius Black was nothing more than a hateful creature who had betrayed all those who had befriended him and had turned his back on all the morals he had claimed to live by.

Remus felt his anger rise at every reminder of the man he once called 'friend'. Going through these pictures was like losing his friends all over again. These people had accepted him even after they learned what he was, a werewolf and social outcast. They had never thought of him as such and had never been afraid of him, for which Remus was eternally grateful. But now they were gone, Lily and James betrayed and Peter, poor, insignificant Peter, murdered in his brightest moment of friendship and bravery. There were low periods for Remus when he wished it had been he who had gone after Sirius, he who had been blown to pieces instead of being left to suffer the loss of everyone else.

Remus gave another long sigh and rubbed his tired eyes. He laid those pictures aside and picked up another envelope without looking at the writing. The first picture he pulled out was of a very self-conscious James Potter wearing a tuxedo with a white rose in his lapel; the wedding day.

What a day that was, thought Remus with a smile.

Talking with the bridesmaids at the reception, Remus learned that James was far more nervous than Lily who was, reportedly, extremely composed and eager for the service to start.

Remus could remember that day perfectly, even without pictures. It was the middle of May, scheduled by Lily so that he would be able to come. Things like that were what he remembered the most about Lily, she was so considerate of everyone she knew.

Remus found a picture of the wedding party and laid it aside for Harry, it was the first picture taken of Lily and James as husband and wife and they were both glowing. The next picture Remus knew he could never part with, even though it included Sirius Black. It was taken outside the small chapel before James was to go inside. Peter had whipped out the camera just as James was about to attack Sirius, who had pretended, quite convincingly, to have lost the wedding rings. Remus was shown off to the side, it was his laughter that had given away the prank and saved Sirius from a black eye. Remus smiled those were the times he wanted to remember, not the dark, dangerous days of the war.

Studying his own face in the picture, Remus noted ruefully how much he had changed. More than a decade of grief, persecution, and painful monthly transformations had aged him considerably. The auburn hair in the photograph was now shot with gray and there were premature age lines etched into his face. The gray eyes at first glance appeared the same, but on closer inspection there was now a current of sadness that lingered there that was not present when the picture had been taken. He had seen a lot, too much, for his thirty-three years, and it showed.

There were a lot of pictures from the reception and Remus took his time going through them. He laughed aloud, startling the owl, as he looked at the surprised face of James as Lily licked the icing off of his ear after they had cut the first slice of cake and had 'fed' it to one another.

He considered sending that one to Harry then decided that perhaps the boy wasn't quite ready to see that side of his parents. The next photograph was one Remus had taken of Albus Dumbledore who was presenting Lily's bouquet, which he had just caught, to a very lovely Minerva McGonagall. The Potter wedding was the first, and only, time Remus had ever seen his former Head of House with her hair down. She looked years younger and certainly less professional, especially at the reception. Remus couldn't think of another time when he had been so confused and amused at the same time, or when he had laughed so hard. Minerva had finally accepted the white lilies and had bestowed a light kiss upon Albus' nose, but she had flatly refused to dance with him to one of the slow, romantic songs Lily had requested. The Headmaster then spent a good ten minutes chasing his protesting Deputy in an attempt to get her to dance, much to the amazement of their former students. Remus chuckled and set it aside, Harry _definitely_ wasn't ready to see _that_ one.

He came across a picture of himself and Sirius, arm in arm with their dates for that night. The brunette on his arm had sung the song that Lily and James had danced to first. It had said something like 'there's a look in your eyes makes me know that you need me…" and couldn't have been closer to the truth for the newlyweds dancing, whose eyes never left the other's. The blonde standing next to Sirius Remus didn't recognize, but he assumed she was some relation to James, a cousin or something.

James and Lily had danced a lot that night. James requested 'Its witchcraft' and everyone laughed as Sinatra told them exactly what James was thinking. "Those fingers in my hair, that sly come hither stare…its witchcraft…and I've got no defense for it…" yes, James was under her spell, he had been since at least their fifth year at Hogwarts. After James had gotten over his slight egotism in the beginning of seventh year, Remus and Sirius had agreed to help him convince Lily to go out on a date. With their coaxing she had finally consented and almost three years later the two were married.

It was a great day; everything went without a hitch. Although, he _had_ woken up with a hangover the next day, there had been a lot to drink at the reception, and Sirius had woken up with a strange blonde he was quite sure wasn't the one he had taken to the wedding. But Lily and James had woken up together as newlyweds for the very first time.

Remus found another envelope with some miscellaneous pictures. There were scenes from his uncle's farm in Scotland, one of Sirius with his beloved motorcycle, quite a few of a beautiful young woman with long brown hair and sparkling blue-green eyes… Reminding himself why he was looking through these pictures in the first place, Remus pushed that pile aside and emptied a new envelope.

There were more shots of his friends including one of a pregnant Lily standing outside a stone house waving happily as she held up a set of keys to their new home in Godric's Hollow. He found a few of baby Harry as well, mostly in the arms of his parents. Remus could remember the first time he had held the baby, Harry had been so small and James was so proud and very much in love with his little son. Sirius had been named the godfather.

Some godfather, Remus thought darkly.

He chose a few more pictures then slipped the small stack into an envelope with a brief note and scribbled Hagrid's name across the top. He secured the envelope with string just in case and attached it to the owl's leg. The owl gave another hoot and flew out the window into the now setting sun.

When it had gone, Remus closed and latched the window before sinking back into his chair and resting his forehead on his palms. He wanted more than anything for Harry to understand just who his parents were, what incredible people they had been. But mostly he wanted him to know how much they had loved him. He wanted to help Harry understand these things, but digging up the past was painful. Looking back over these pictures was like reliving all the painful times he had been trying to forget. Harry needed to know his parents, but oh, it was so very, very difficult…


End file.
